49ers face a Brady vs. Bledsoe choice

Rich Garven TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Published Thursday December 13, 2012 at 6:00 am

Updated Thursday December 13, 2012 at 8:41 am

It was one of the most divisive and, ultimately, defining decisions in franchise history. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe, healthy some two months after having his chest torn apart by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in the second game of the 2001 season, was not handed his starting job back by Bill Belichick. Instead, the Patriots' second-year coach opted to stick with sophomore Tom Brady.

Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe warm up before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002.

It was one of the most divisive and, ultimately, defining decisions in franchise history.

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe, healthy some two months after having his chest torn apart by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in the second game of the 2001 season, was not handed his starting job back by Bill Belichick. Instead, the Patriots' second-year coach opted to stick with sophomore Tom Brady.

Things obviously couldn't have worked out any better for all parties involved — with the exception of Bledsoe. The former face of the franchise and his 10-year, $103-million contract were shipped to Buffalo following the season.

All Belichick and Brady have gone on to do is lead the Patriots to five Super Bowls, winning three, while becoming the NFL's winningest coach/quarterback tandem in the NFL since 1970 with a 134-38 record.

“That was a long time ago for me,” Brady responded yesterday when asked how awkward the situation was. “But there was nothing like that on our team. I had great support from all the quarterbacks, especially Drew.”

Brady won five of his first seven starts after replacing Bledsoe, so that played into Belichick's decision. Then there was the fact Brady won over his coach and his teammates with a work ethic that remains legendary to this day.

The new starter also benefited from taking the same approach to work that he did when backing up Bledsoe, a four-time Pro Bowler whom the Patriots drafted first overall in 1993.

“You just try to focus on your job,” Brady said. “There are a lot of players that you count on, that depend on you and you depend on them. That's what makes it a team game. That's why the best teams win the most important games — because they've got a group of players that's committed to doing their jobs.

“Like I said, if your role is to play quarterback, your role is to play quarterback and you've got to do the best you can. If your role is to play scout team running back, that's what your role is, and until that role changes you've just got to do it the best you can do.”

That long-ago-settled quarterback debate is especially relevant here this week as the Patriots prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.

The 49ers drafted Alex Smith first overall in 2005 and, for the most part, he'd been their starter. Smith was mostly average at best before finally coming into his own last season, which, coincidentally, coincided with arrival of coach John Harbaugh.

Smith guided the 49ers to a 13-3 record and came within an overtime field goal of reaching the Super Bowl. It was more of the same this season as the 49ers got off to a 6-2-1 start and he completed a league-leading 70 percent of his passes and checked in third in passer rating.

But Smith suffered a concussion in a 24-24 tie with the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 11. He was replaced by sophomore Colin Kaepernick and, despite being medically cleared to play after sitting out one game, has yet to get his job back.

Sound familiar?

“I really don't want to compare it to any other situation, but I think it was a unique situation here,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said during a conference call. “Two guys that we believe in, believe can win games for us, and picking one, it's who do you think can give us the best chance for this game.”

The 49ers are 3-1 with Kaepernick as the starter. The 2011 second-round pick out of Nevada is 82 for 120 (68.3 percent) for 984 yards and three touchdowns with one interception since stepping in for Smith.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Kaepernick is also an outstanding runner and has gained 351 yards and scored five touchdowns on 46 carries this season.

“He's playing, really, with a lot of poise and beyond his years,” Harbaugh said. “He's produced — he's made big plays with his arm and his feet and his mind. He's 3-1 as a starter. He's done a fine job and acquitted himself very well.”

The decisive talk over how unfair it was of Smith to lose his job to injury has, as was the case in New England a decade ago, subsided. Now the 49ers are left to see how the decision defines their season and their future.